aquat26 Posted April 3, 2012 Share Posted April 3, 2012 Just wanted to get some opinions on whether it's better to buy a new Sheraton II or an old model? By "older" I mean 1980's through to now really. Are there any year models that stand out as being particularly good or bad within this period of time? After looking on ebay these are the models that I can afford. Thanks everybody! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
indiekiduk Posted April 3, 2012 Share Posted April 3, 2012 You really have to play a guitar to see if its comfortable. I had an old Korean Sheraton and it just wasn't nice to play - sticky neck, worn frets, too tight strings. Even with new strings on it still hurt to play for some reason. Ended up selling it because hardly played the thing and always picked up my Les Paul instead. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ashleyb Posted April 3, 2012 Share Posted April 3, 2012 You really have to play a guitar to see if its comfortable. I had an old Korean Sheraton and it just wasn't nice to play - sticky neck, worn frets, too tight strings. Even with new strings on it still hurt to play for some reason. Ended up selling it because hardly played the thing and always picked up my Les Paul instead. I agree with the previous person you have got to try them out but i had a mid 1990's Sheraton and i though it was really nice i ended up trading it in for a Fender Coronado which was a cool guitar too Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vomer Posted April 3, 2012 Share Posted April 3, 2012 Yup, you've got to try them and see. Mine is a 2004 Korean Saein and wasn't perfect, with uneven inlays, wrong radius on the saddles, buzzy bridge, and crappy electrics. With a little work it's great. And no, I'm not aware of any years that stand out as either particularly good or bad, but be aware of unusual bridge sizing on some of the 80's-90's Samick-built Korean ones if you think you might be changing hardware. It's a great excuse for spending lots of time playing lots of different axes till you find one that you connect with. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whitmore Willy Posted April 3, 2012 Share Posted April 3, 2012 If you are talking about a quality difference, I'm not much help.....but... On any used guitar: A word to the wise. I have and do own used guitars. I am a person that would not buy any guitar unless I can examine it first. Not that I would not buy a used Sheraton. I would! Age would not have a lot to do with it. FRET WEAR would!!! People that own Sheratons tend to play them. Just a thought.....good luck in your quest, Willy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LPDEN Posted April 3, 2012 Share Posted April 3, 2012 All good points made previously. I'll add if you're not able to try before you buy, ask if there is a return period in case something isn't to your liking. Otherwise you may get stuck with someone else's headache. And as Willy said, if you get a guitar with a lot of fret wear that makes it difficult or impossible to play cleanly, that's an added cost and downtime for a fret job that you'll have to factor in to the cost of the guitar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blueman335 Posted April 3, 2012 Share Posted April 3, 2012 Mine is a 2004 Korean Saein and wasn't perfect, with uneven inlays, wrong radius on the saddles, buzzy bridge, and crappy electrics. With a little work it's great. The quality on older MIK's (before 2000) is inconsistent, some are definitely better than others. I think the current MIC's are the best and most consistent. A real problem with 10+ year old Epi's is fret wear, they don't use as good a metal as Gibsons. You do not want to pay for a refretting. I won't buy a pre-2000 Epi because of that, unless the buyer can assure me that the frets have little wear (I've gotten most of my guitars online). I feel very confident buying a recent production Epi, MIC or MIK. All the ones I've seen have been excellent. Something you need to know is how to do your own set ups. The best book for that is Dan Erlewine's "How to make your electric guitar play great." Every guitarist should own that book. You can get it from StewMac. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charlie brown Posted April 3, 2012 Share Posted April 3, 2012 Good/Great examples, of either, would be fine! However...being more of a traditionalist, myself... I'd recommend This one (AIUSA version)....IF you can find one, for a "reasonable" price , anymore? (I added the "imperial" tuner buttons...it comes (stock) with standard Grover kidney bean versions.) The "Elitist" version (identical, except for the slightly different shaped headstock, with Imperial tuners, being "standard/stock" with that model), if/when you can find them, would also be a great choice! They're both worth, the substantial price difference, IMHO. CB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sneddy72 Posted April 4, 2012 Share Posted April 4, 2012 I have a 1988 Sheraton II and cant recommend them highly enough especially for the money. Haven't played any of the newer chinese ones so cant give an opinion on those As some people have said above fret wear can be a problem, the frets on mine were knackered when i got the guitar, luckily a good friend did a re-fret for a couple of beers so it wasnt an issue for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BSAKing Posted April 4, 2012 Share Posted April 4, 2012 I have quite few guitars (GAS is an awful thing....lol)and I personally still think the Sheraton is one of the best price points on the planet. I have both a 94 Samick and a 2007 Korea/Chinese one. They are both fine instruments. I would give the edge in electronics to the new one. In terms of playability, I prefer the older one. But - that is just me. Both are excellent guitars. People are dead on when they say you must try it - it is such a subjective thing. Sometimes you can have two seemingly identical guitars and one will just sing to you and the other will leave you flat. As an aside, I have made up a quality wiring harness and am keeping my eyes open for some vintage 57's to swap out the electronics in the 94. I have a chum who did the same and installed a Bigsby - he has a number of very similar high end Gibsons and still scratches his head as to what the difference is for that kind of price spread with the changes he has made (I know, I know quality, consistency, materials, resale etc.) But just to underscore that comment about value for the money. They are also not the same - the 94 is about an inch shorter overall. The 2007 will not fit in my original EPI case for the 94. I will also mention that like any guitar, proper setup can make a huge difference. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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